Castroneves, Scheckter blame each other
He started first, for an IndyCar Series-record seventh time, and finished in a heap, for the fifth time in 16 races. The contact came with Tomas Scheckter in a battle for fourth place on lap 68. Each blamed the other, exchanging words at the medical center.
Castroneves said he expected Scheckter to let him pass, the same way he let Tony Kanaan go by a few laps earlier. "It's disappointing because obviously my car was faster than his," Castroneves said. Scheckter saw it differently.
"He hit me from behind; it's clear," he said. "That was a stupid move."
Castroneves also crashed in the races at Milwaukee, Texas, Watkins Glen and Michigan. He aggravated the knee bruise he suffered at Michigan.
Castroneves' race was essentially lost when his crew failed to communicate the need to pit on the first stop, on the 21st lap. Dario Franchitti, Kanaan and Scott Dixon peeled off the track as Castroneves stayed out.
The problem was, Castroneves got caught driving behind three back-of-the-pack drivers — Dan Wheldon, Buddy Rice and Scott Sharp — and lost three seconds per lap for five laps to the other race contenders. Indy Star